Recently on Cyclingnews.com

Letters to Cyclingnews - September 4, 2008

Here's your chance to get more involved with Cyclingnews. Comments and
criticism on current stories, races, coverage and anything cycling related are
welcomed, even pictures if you wish. Letters should be brief (less than 300
words), with the sender clearly identified. They may be edited for space and
clarity; please stick to one topic per letter. We will normally include your
name and place of residence, but not your email address unless you specify in
the message.

BMX....That's all?

In Regards to Timothy Shame’s letter,

As both a road and mountain biker, I believe that Timothy Shame needs to diversify
his view of cycling. Track, though nail-biting and exciting, ISN’T the only
cycling discipline out there which athletes can compete in at the highest level.

BMX is not merely adults on kids’ bikes riding down a ramp with ‘kiddie’ gears
(or gear, mate!). BMX is a power sport which requires loads of skill, guts and
speed. Just because it is a sport that requires the riders to cycle in circles
for minutes, ride on the boards, or wear skinsuits, doesn’t detract from the
legitimacy of the sport!

Are the 50m ‘sprint’ swim events any less important for the fact that they’re
over in 30 seconds?

Timothy, I challenge you to step outside the square. Jump on a BMX, XC or DH
MTB, and have a go of something that falls outside the narrow vision allowed
by your blinkers!

BMX....That's all #2

Shame on you Timothy Shame,

As a track cyclist, you will surely know that Jamie Staff, Jason Kenny, and
Shanaze Readeall came into the GB track squad through BMX. All now have World
Championship stripes and / or Olympic gold sprint medals. Must be a little bit
of talent there, surely?

For a cyclist in one discipline to knock another is depressingly familiar.
It may not be your cup of tea but don't demean yourself and display your ignorance.

I'm not a BMXer either but it takes talent and dedication to succeed - just
as it does in any other part of the sport. It's also brought some highly talented
athletes into best track squad in the world - who knows if they'd have made
it through another route.

BMX....That's all? #3

In response to Timothy Shame, I was also gutted that the Kilo was dropped in
favour of the BMX racing. I didn't know much about BMX racing other than what
I had seen in films like ET and BMX Bandits a long time ago. But as with a lot
of Olympic sports, I was thrilled and entertained by it, just as I was with
Taekwondo, gymnastics, and the open water swim, and was found wanting to see
more of it. Yes they are large people on small bikes, but that is how the sport
is. If the BMX were bigger it would be a) a mountain bike, and b) too difficult
to handle on the tight undulating circuit. The size fits. It just so happens
that the size fits kids too - what a great way to get them into the sport. They
don't have to wait until they "grow" into something.

As for the rider bragging that he has more power than Cavendish and Hoy, can
you prove he doesn't? As a track cyclist, you must surely be aware that Chris
Hoy cut his teeth in BMX racing; Jamie Staff (another track gold medallist)
raced for a long time in the BMX world, and that Shanaze Reade is also a world
champion on the track. I take it from this that they have to be powerful people,
and skilled bike handlers to boot.

Victory in 35 seconds? Well, I guess that would be a long day for Usain Bolt
and co.

Keep it in the games. Maybe introduce a 50 lap version. And bring back the
Kilo.

PS - perhaps Track cycling got zero coverage in the US because your prime time
TV channels are only focussing on sports that the US have a chance in rather
than the Olympics at large?

BMX....That's all? #4

Timothy

BMXR’s not athletes?? Are you kidding me? As a track rider, I’m sure you have
pretty good power in a sprint, as do all BMXers, that’s all it is, one long
sprint, but I’ll give you 6 months of BMX practice and you would be hard pressed
to keep your front wheel anywhere close to the back wheel of a 14 year old novice
BMXR. You thought they were doing 50 laps? Try doing 3 laps back to back to
back!

You would be lucky to make it back to the start gate. You must not know a lot
about BMX as the starting hill the Olympics used was not the typical start hill
BMXR’s use, that hill was strictly for bling, the standard start hill is usually
5-7 feet high. BMX is a cycling discipline, like it or not, be happy any cycling
made it to TV period. How much more swimming and diving could we have had crammed
down our throat?!

BMX... That’s all? #5

Woah there Tim!

Yes, it is unfortunate that the Kilo was excluded from the games. This was
a judgement call by the UCI, and it was made with the purpose of expanding cycling's
image on the world stage. Would I have rather watched a blisteringly fast kilo
than a BMX race? YES.

But to say that the sport is "kiddie"; well that is simply crossing the line.
As much as I hate to admit it, those guys do churn more power than road or track
cyclists. As proof that trackies aren't god's gift to sport, the world record
for power output was set by a downhiller.

Hmmm... Here's another one: One of my racing friends transferred from BMX to
road just last year. After a few months of racing, he joined me in the P 1-2s.
Needless to say, he is one of the most talented U23 racers in California. And
where did he get his power from? Riding a "kiddie" bike down a ramp.

These guys are real athletes. Yes, they may race for 30 seconds. But given
all the qualifying rounds, and the amazing numbers they put up, it’s really
fun to watch.

Oh, sorry Mr. Track Lord, one more question for your mighty brain to ponder.
How long does a match sprint take?

BMX... That’s all? #6

If you believe that BMX riders are not real athletes and have no power, go
out to the closest track near where you live, and give it a shot. Ask Jamie
Staff (Gold Medal track cyclist) what his opinion is on BMX, you might be surprised
to hear his answer. Or ask Shanaze Reade how difficult she feels Track is, she
only one a world championship her first time on a track bike, that takes a lot
of skill though.

Olympic mountain biking

Does XC mountain bike racing appear boring on TV? I thought the Olympics race
did. Unfortunately we didn't have a good broadcaster here in Australia - they
were more interested in showing the umpteenth repeat of my nation winning gold
medals, but do I blame them?

XC mountain bike racing can look lame on TV. All the technical elements that
make the sport so exciting to ride are flattened by the camera. Try filming
your own local mtb loop and you will find what you know is steep, scary or technical
looks mundane on TV. Watching Julian Absalon et al stomping on the pedals was
weird - it just didn’t look that steep!

We should sell ourselves better - helmet cameras, cables cameras etc make much
better TV. Just look at the season’s mtb movie to see how exciting riding can
look on film.

With the threat to remove cycling from the Olympics we should be doing all
we can to make ourselves interesting and exciting.

I hope our sport tries harder for the London Olympic Games; otherwise I am
sure my local broadcaster will be no doubt be showing anything but XC mtb racing.

Cadel stays with Silence-Lotto?

Forgive my ignorance, but how do team mates help a rider win the tour in a
mountain stage? Recent winners have shown us exactly that. CSC used their triple
threat to attack consistently and create confusion as to who was the rider to
mark really was. While Discovery used to set the pace and get rid of all other
riders.

What support has Cadel ever had? Horner? Popovych? Both great riders and Horner,
in my view, rode above himself to be in that select group of 10 at the top of
mountains in 2007, but couldn't influence the race.

I think the days of 9 guys sitting on the front and dropping one by one as
the pace lifts are gone. We are back to the good old days of a small group of
the best climbers being formed and attacks launched out of it.

Ideally your team needs to be able to attack (potentially win) and chase down
attacks. Cadel has never had this support and he has an amazing palmares with
one little gap so why has he stayed with Silence-Lotto?

Head tube logos at Olympic Games

I was wondering what the story is re the head tube logos at the Olympics being
taped over, is this because no advertising is permitted?, if so it makes no
sense as the down tube logos were unobscured. Any info would be interesting.

Fabio Baldato's premature retirement

It really is bad news that Fabio Baldato has to retire following his recent
crash at the ENECO Tour. I have had the pleasure of seeing him in action on
many an occasion usually in the classics of Northern Europe in April. His two
second places in the Ronde stick out in my mind more than anything and I hope
he and the Lampre team will maybe reconsider their position about ending the
career now and will allow time to heal before training hard through the winter
enabling him to bow out in style on the pave of Flanders in 2009. That would
be cool!

He has been a phenomenal cyclist and his contribution to the sport over an
18 year pro career has been significant. I just know the Belgian fans would
love to see him one more time and would give him a very special Duvel fuelled
send off!

Does doping work?

"Many banned substances on the WADA list are probably useless;" so states an
article in the 1 August issue of Science (Does Doping Work? on page 627). The
article goes on to say that most listed drugs are based on anecdotal evidence,
not placebo-controlled trials.

Some of the listed compounds work (steroids), some don't have any effect, and
some are detrimental to performance. Even a WADA official concedes the science
behind the list is pretty weak. So a cyclist may be risking his career by using
a listed drug that has no back-up evidence demonstrating it enhances performance.

Cadel Evans and the Beige Jersey

I don’t think Cadel Evans deserves to be bagged, but does he deserve to be
adored?

Probably not…. Great if he wins, and fantastic and well deserved; but they
way in which it happens just doesn't inspire. Maybe it should but it doesn't.
I can congratulate Cadel and wish him well but as a rider I can't love him.
I think we also need to remember that cycling is traditionally a very European
sport, and history shows it’s the riders with Panache that win all the fans.

Greg LeMond and Indurain were also criticised for they way in which they won
the Tour, but the difference being is they won, and against some very stiff
competition at the time. If Cadel does win a couple of tours riding this way
(to his abilities) the respect will come, God knows he deserves that.

Cadel Evans and the Beige Jersey #2

Cory - I'm pretty sure LeMond did race in yellow, I've a clear memory of seeing
a photo of him climbing Alpe d'Huez (I think) on Hinault's wheel, whilst wearing
yellow, I guess during the year of his first win.

Cadel Evans and the Beige Jersey #3

Cory Thompson's memory has not served! LeMond did in fact wear yellow in 1990,
as he took the GC lead after the TT on the penultimate stage - the French had
learned their lesson after 1989. Perhaps Thompson was thinking of Jan Janssen's
victory in 1968; he took the lead for the first time on the second half of a
split stage on the final day (also a TT.) Janssen in particular suffered some
criticism as an uninspiring rider, much as Cadel Evans has.

Team Australia helmets

Australia has had compulsory helmets for ample time to see if this policy has
worked.

Why have we not seen a drop in the statistics trend of head injuries compared
to overall injuries? That's what the chart should show if the policy was good.

Why has the Australian model been used successfully in other countries to rebut
proposals to introduce helmet legislation?

Comparing numbers of cyclists before & after legislation showed a large drop
in the cycling population. Although I can't 'prove' it to you, logic dictates
that a smaller cyclist population means motorists see them less frequently and
thereby become less aware to look out for them.

I wore a helmet when commuting for years before legislation, to visibly distinguish
myself as a serious road user. From a purely selfish perspective, the law took
away my benefit, and simultaneously my choice to go bare head when I deemed
the risk acceptable. There is risk in taking a shower - our lives are full of
assessing our circumstance and accepting or balking at the risks.

I've just resumed cycle commuting two months after a 30kph collision that broke
my collarbone, but didn't scratch my lid. Motorist was a really nice guy, just
forgot that there was a bike lane and that a bike may actually be using it.

British track team's Olympic Games medals

Hey what about the road gold and silver?

Undoubtedly the A.I.S. was a role-model and target for British Cycling; 15
years ago the UK was a sad also-ran. Before Chris Boardman's win in Barcelona
the G.B. team was grim and I'm pretty sure Peter Keen and Dave Brailsford will
admit that 'The Aussies' had a part to play in how the U.K. improved. The A.I.S.
is a superb set-up, however it has also been held up as a model of what good
funding could do, so you can't blame the 'poms' for doing the same thing by
chucking money at the problem.

The G.B. squad has invited all to emulate and try to beat them, in a similar
way to how you Aussies do things. There will always be 'trade secrets' but there
is lots to learn from other teams and perhaps the A.I.S. can now learn from
British Cycling. The Brits are there as a target - staying at the top is cyclical
and never easy but I'm sure the G.B. squad will have a good stab at it.

The vast majority of the G.B. back-room staff and coaches are home-grown. Admittedly
Shane Sutton is Australian and is a great asset to the team but don't forget
he is partly a product of the G.B. system- as a coach he's 'grown-up' with and
been an integral part the program. Besides, to quote Shane "I'm a Welshman now!"
Shane is a great character and if I were Australian I'd be proud of him as I'm
proud of what he's done for the riders under his guidance.

I agree Rick, based on population size/results, Australians have achieved far
beyond what you would expect but perhaps G.B. is finally starting to get the
results they should have all these years, give them time.

The U.K. has a dynamic and professional team of riders and support staff, they
are well funded because they have watched, planned, implemented, innovated and
performed, they just did their job and 'came up with the goods'. The track success
is a good result, but Road, MTB and BMX are the next tick-boxes on the list
and if I know Dave Brailsford they'll do it too!

All this success is changing awareness and interest by the general public in
the U.K. and other sports - hopefully it will bring in new talent to and increase
the popularity of cycling - that can't be a bad thing. I wish them well.

The boot is currently on the other foot, the UK is doing a good well and some
other nations are griping just like the whinging poms; ironic.

Pro cycling sponsorship

The obvious answers is that the teams that got sponsors (Slipstream, Columbia,
Scott) are American and/or got American sponsorship while CSC (a Danish team)
got a Danish sponsor (Saxo Bank). On the other hand, Gerolsteiner is a German
team and the whole cycling atmosphere there is very negative due to all the
positive doping results in the last few years and the suspension of Ullrich.

Crédit Agricole is a French company and presumably no French sponsor could
be found either. Scott, however, will no longer sponsor the yellow team next
year, so it’s to be determined if American Beef will take over sole sponsorship
or if they’ll be able to find a replacement second sponsor. Thus, whether sponsorship
is easy to find depends on where the team is from and what the attitude towards
cycling in that country is. Obviously the mood about cycling is still good in
the US.

And yes, Saunier Duval pulled out because of the positive doping test of Riccardo
Riccò and suspension of Leonardo Piepoli.

August 21: Levi
Leipheimers Bike, John Fahey and Jacques Rogge on doping, Cycling out of the
Olympics, Team Australia helmets, Scott-American Beef excluded from Vuelta,
Doping & money, U-23 National Championship RR fiasco, US Cyclists and masks,
World Road race championships national quotas

July 25: Confused,
Consistency please, Damages paid, Dave Russell passes away, David Miller on
Riccò, Do you believe?, Doping, ASO vs UCI, what is going on?, Evans to wear
number one in Tour, How does Andy Schleck "kill all the moves"?

July 24: Gerrans,
One question & two predictions about the Tour, A bike by any other name,
ASO, doping and Astana, Beating a dead horse, but..., Boycott le Tour and
Olympics, Cascade Cycling Classic accident, Cleaning up cycling, a suggestion

March 6: Zirbel
and the"ride of his life", British track sprinters' helmets, Hamilton, Operacion
Puerto and the ToCA, Three grand tours or five monuments?, Rock Racing and
Michael Ball, Pro cycling is dead, Paris - Nice, Knife between the ribs?,
Doping and the Tour, Astana, the ASO and the UCI, ASO vs. Astana, The Astana
affair, ASO vs. UCI vs. AIGCP vs. the non existent riders, The real ASO problem,
Denounce ASO's actions for what they are, Sponsorship code of ethics, Where
are the other ProTour teams?, ProTour vs. ASO

February 28: ASO
vs. Astana, Passion and sponsorship, Crash or crash through, Pro cycling is
dead, Why we must have the ProTour, Rock Racing and Michael Ball, ToC and
Rock, The hidden message behind banning Astana, ASO is killing cycling, ASO
could be right, The real ASO problem, UCI - draw a line in the sand, ASO has
lost the plot, The Astana affair, Astana and ASO/RCS, the Astana decision,
Operacion Puerto, Old rider classification

February 1: UCI
vs. Grand Tour war, Best wishes to Anna, The incident, Rock racing & Starbucks,
Rock racing Rocks, Rock racing, Landis in NUE, Lance is the best of all time,
Sinkewitz logic, Astana for 08 Tour?

January 25: Rock
racing, Time to draw a line in the sand, ASO vs. UCI ProTour, UCI vs. Grand
Tour war spills over to European federations, Readers' poll stage races 2007,
Cyclist of the year, Team High Road's black kit, Lance is the best of all
time, Landis in NUE, Toyota-United abusing USAC team rules?

January 18: Cadel
Evans - returns to training, Cyclist of the Year, DOPING - time to draw a
line in the sand, Hincapie in T-Mobile kit, Lance is the best of all time,
Readers poll: best stage races 2007, Rock racing, Speaking about Lance, Toyota-United
abusing USAC team rules?

Letters 2007

December 14: Sydor's
consistency, George Hincapie, Helmet straps must be cinched a bit too tight,
Will there soon be a sample"C"test?, ProTour, Vino's joke of a suspension,
Mafioso McQuaid, Obee and Health Net, Mayo's B sample to get B test, Campagnolo
offers its own 'red' shifter, T-Mobile's withdrawal a blow to Jaksche